How To Use A Hair Pin (2024)

I don’t know about you, but I always envied people in school who could put all their hair up with a pencil. Mine would never do such a thing. As someone with a thick head of hair, it was something I never mastered.

I received this pretty rose gold hair pin in one of the Kristin Ess gift sets I picked up over the holidays. I watched her tutorial here a dozentimes to learn how to use a French hair pin the right way.

Between watching that video, and spending some time with my hairstylist friend, I think I’ve got this down! It’s such an easy way to throw your hair up and also keep it from getting a big kink in it from a hair tie. And it’s much more dressed up.

You could totally wear this out to an event. Just add some statement earrings, a red lip and you’re ready to go. Here’s how to use a hair pin to get the perfect effortless hairstyle.

How To Use A Hair Pin (1)

Step 1

Grab all of your hair in a low ponytail and begin to gently twist it all. You don’t have to get super tight or crazy here. Plus, leaving a few pieces out in front helps to frame your face.

I started with my hair curled with my usual beachy waves. It allowed for a little more texture for the pin to stay put along with my texture spray. You can see that beachy hair wave tutorial here. Day old hair with a little grease actually helps to make this style work anyway. If your hair is freshly washed, it’ll all slide out!

PS, you can do this with all of your hair, or just a section of hair for a half-up twist too!

How To Use A Hair Pin (2)

Step 2

Once you’ve twisted all your hair, place your right pointer finger to the left of the ponytail so your finger is facing down. Pull yourponytail over your index finger and hook it and twist it around your finger so it meets your hair at the base of where you started.

Iknow this sounds weird, but the photos should easily show you how I’m hooking and twisting it into a loop over my finger. You can always just twist it into a bun. However, I really liked the loop that we did, it felt a little different!

Once you twist your hair over your finger in one rotation, you’ll then curl your finger into a circular motion to then twist the hair up into the twist. You can see how we did this in the below photos.

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Step 3

Now that your hair is in a loop, you’ll take the hair pin and flip it so it’s facing outwards versus how you’ll want it to be when you’re finished.

Most hair pins are curved, so you’ll want the curve to not be against your head to start. You can see above how we start with it on the right with the curve facing outward. You’ll grab some hair with the pin by placing it across the bun you’ve made.

Then you turn it around to go in the other direction and have it go deep into the bun to secure it. So you’re essentially grabbing a little bit of hair on the outside of the bun to then flip the pin to the other side and slide it through the bulk of the bun.

And then you’ll push it through. Grabbing some of the hair is essential to getting it taught and keeping it all in place. And that’s how to use a hair pin!

You’ll have to do all of this twisting while holding your hair with the other hand to ensure it doesn’t all fall out. But once you get this part down, which does take some practice, you’ll be twisting your hair up into a twist in no time. I promise, it takes a few tries, and the photos make it look easy!

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Want More Hair Pin Hairstyle Ideas?

This is just one of a few ways you can use a hair pin to create easy and effortless hair styles. Check out my post on fun ways to use a hair pin. You can do these on short hair and even long hair depending on the length of your hair. From half up hair styles, to full up-do’s, this post has a few great ideas for hairstyles with a hair pin.

Types Of Hair Pins

There are all sorts of hair pins and hair accessories to try. While bobby pins are probably the types of hair pins you’ve normally heard about, French hair pins are a larger hair pin that allows you to use just one to put your entire head of hair up.

Kristin Ess also has a mini French hair pin here. There are metal hair pins, and resin hair pins that come in tons of colors and prints. You can even find hair pins that have embellishments on them so you can wear them out to a nicer event like a wedding or formal event.

There are so many hair pins to shop and explore and find one that works for your personal style.

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How To Use A Hair Pin (2024)

FAQs

How To Use A Hair Pin? ›

First way: grab desired piece of hair, open the mouth of your Bobby pin, then slide it along the plane of your head. Second way: grab desired hair, leave Bobby pin closed, slide straight in, then up and into the hair.

How do you use hair pins in your hair? ›

First way: grab desired piece of hair, open the mouth of your Bobby pin, then slide it along the plane of your head. Second way: grab desired hair, leave Bobby pin closed, slide straight in, then up and into the hair.

What is the difference between a hair pin and a bobby pin? ›

Some bobby pins have ridges to help secure your hair without slipping, while others have a modern sleek, flat look. Standard hair pins, on the other hand are not pressurized together, but are instead open in more of a U shape. These U shaped hair pins are most commonly used to hold a bun or updo in place.

What is the difference between a hair pin and a hair stick? ›

Unlike many hair pins, which are usually small and quite simple, hair sticks are often more elaborate and decorative, and feature jeweled or carved designs that make them stand out as pieces of luxury jewelry.

Do hairpins work for thin hair? ›

French pins can definitely work in thin and fine hair. If you have long fine hair, up-do's and French pleats are the best hairstyle to achieve using chignon pins. We would recommend our 10cm Chignon Pin for long, fine hair. This pin is the perfect size for fine hair, use it to create French pleats and up-do's.

How do you keep a hair pin in? ›

The real trick to getting this one to stay is to take the section of hair that you'll be putting into the pin and spray it with lots of good texturizing spray or powder texturizer. It helps to create a more gritty texture for your hair to keep the hairpin in its place. Also doing a bit of teasing will help.

How to put a Chinese hair pin? ›

first of all, you have to put your hair into a ponytail, then grab your hair pin, and you wrap your hair around the hair pin like so. like that. then grab the head of the hair pin. and twist it upwards to create a bun situation.

Are hair pins better for your hair? ›

Despite some concerns, French pins can be a great choice for many people. When used correctly, they can provide a secure hold without causing damage to the hair. However, it's important to choose high-quality pins and use them properly to avoid any potential issues.

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